Lafayette County Lake C-23 Fishing Guide, Lafayette County, Missouri

• Overview

  Missouri holds Lafayette County Lake C-23, in Lafayette County. The bank is 787 feet above sea level. Albany sits 8.3 miles from the bank. The big place round here is East Independence, 18 miles distant. If this one is busy: Lafayette A-21 Lake after 1.2 miles, Beckemeyer Lake the better part of 2.9 miles, Twentes Lake after 3.4 miles, Odessa Hills Lake the better part of 5.7 miles and Lafayette County Lake J-21 after 5.7 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Lafayette County Lake C-23

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Records held for Lafayette County cover rainbow smelt, bluegill and channel catfish. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Treat this water as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 78°F on average, January about 27°F. Spring and autumn are the strongest, but nothing is truly closed. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. On this water that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Catfish want bait on the bottom: cut bait or worms, a simple running rig, and patience after dark. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Lafayette A-21 Lake at 1.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Where this water is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.